Arias

An incredible album. His choice of arias combine those any opera lover would know with some hidden gems. Schott is in fine form. The balance between him and the orchestra and chorus is great. I listen to this over and over again and discover new nuances in his technique. A leap forward from his first album of arias.

He is gorgeous and his voice is gorgeous. However, most arias for bass baritone just aren't that fun to listen to. If you love his voice like I do, get his Rojo Tango CD. It is to die for!

I love Erwin Schrott, but this CD did nothing for me. It was more the selections rather than the artist himself. I think most of what's here do not stand well enough on their own as arias, particularly the Mefistophele selections. They work much better in context.The Te Deum from Tosca was about the best track here. I resold this after one listen. He deserves better material than this.

This is a a first-rate artist. All of the songs are well-chosen. He doesn't shrink from the vulgarity of the Toreador Song, but he uses subtle dynamic modulations, rubato, and legato in all the places the composers call for them. He has that "dark wood grain" to his voice that marks the world-class bass-baritone.

this is a fantastic recording!!vocal fireworks!! after listening to this cd I dare anyone call him Mr.Anna Netrebko ever again!!! was ridiculous then it will be even more after!!FABULOUS JOB ERWIN!!!!

Erwin Schrott, who turns forty this year, still feels relatively new, and the excitement he's created on stage, with a highly seductive Don Giovanni as his calling card, is something that two record companies have tried to capitalize on. The first was Decca, with a single CD in 2008 that didn't really catch fire, and now Sony, with whom this is the third album. The Uruguayan bass-baritone doesn't possess a strikingly handsome voice, and in French, when he sings Escamillo's Toreador Song, his French is actually atrocious, harking back to the days of Franco Corelli in this opera (because Schrott says "en gard-ay," so does the chorus).but for the first time in opera, at least that I've heard, Schrott's dramatic impact crosses from stage to recording. He throws out a thrilling high note in the famous tune form Tales of Hoffmann (sometimes excluded as not fully authentic), "Scintille, diamant." He swaggers with elan through Escamillo's tune and actually sings, rather than shouts, Mephisto's Golden Calf aria from Gounod's Faust. With the most well-known bits listed first, the rest of the album aims to satisfy real opera buffs with its remaining selections, of which only the ones from Boito's Mephistofele were known to me, although the capstone is Scarpia's grandstanding first-act Te Deum monologue from Tosca. It's refreshing that orchestral and choral interludes are inserted.Although his voice lacks the aristocratic tone of Cesare Siepi's voice, that once renowned Don Giovanni had a suave richness and easy legato that Schrott also has. He is never wooden; there is both power and flexibility. He makes us feel that real characters are laying bear their emotions. The fact that Schrott includes selections form the Basque composers Pablo Sarozabal and Brazilian-American Antonio Carlos Gomes sets this very original recital apart from any resemblance to a recycling of tried-and-true arias. Schrott is touching in a monologue from Massenet's late opera Don Quichotte. Daniele Rustioni leads forces from the Vienna State Opera and Austrian Radio very well, and Sony's sound is excellent, with the singer placed quite close.Here's the complete program:Bizet:Votre toast je peux vous le rendre 'Toreador Song' (from Carmen)Boito:Ave, Signor degli angeli e dei santi! (from Mefistofele)Son lo Spirito che nega (from Mefistofele)Ecco il mondo, vuoto e tondo (from Mefistofele)Gomes:Di sposo, di padre le gioie serene (Rosa)Gounod:Le veau d'or est toujours debout (from Faust)Massenet:Don Quichotte: Interlude No. 2O mon maître, o mon grand! (from Don Quichotte)Offenbach:Scintille, diamant (from Les Contes d'Hoffmann)Puccini:Tre sbirri...Una carozza...Presto 'Te Deum' (from Tosca)Sorozábal:No te acerques no me persigas (from La Tabernera del Puerto)Despierta negro (from La Tabernera del Puerto)Verdi:A te nell'ora infausta...Sciagurata!...Ni un periglio (from I Lombardi)Mentre gonfiarsi l'anima parea (from Attila)

It is difficult to be the spouse of a celebrity.Erwin Schrott is a young bass baritone with a well-planned operatic career, until he married star soprano Netrebko and became known as 'Mr. Netrebko'.This is too unfair to Mr. Schrott. He made several solo albums after the marriage, with the Latin ones being the best, though not really having yet the artistic calibre to put up solo album after solo album.Here, he compiles a disc of romantic works. The voice is a big one, with considerable power. However, he has problem with control and range. Overall, the singing is bold but less than refined.In today's operatic world, having a big voice appears to be the trump card of any singer, and in this sense Mr. Schrott stands in good stead, with a big tone and rolling voice.However, if you listen to the past greats like Siepi and Ghiaurov, you would begin to wonder if Schrott would ever attain such level of artistry.He belts out the pieces, singing for singing's sake, without much regard to the vocal demands such as range (the low notes especially) and phrasing, let alone the details of each single piece.I began the album with high hopes, reading the two raving reviews, but becomes more and more depressed as the tracks roll on the player.Nay - more work on the voice is required, as well as interpretive skills.

Il y a longtemps que nous n'avions pas entendu la voix magnifique d'un baryton-basse. Erwin est certainement l'un des meilleurs aujourd'hui. Le dernier "Grand" s'appelait José Van Dam. L'écoute de ce CD vous emporte et l'équilibre chanteur-orchestre-choeur est parfaite. Une excellente surprise !!

J'aime les Barytons, les basses, je complète ma discothèque déjà très bien fournie de tous ces artistes de haut niveau